Clinical psychologistProfessor of Clinical Psychology, University of Alabama

"Psilocybin-facilitated Treatment for Cocaine Use"

Peter S. Hendricks, Ph.D., Associate Professor, received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of South Florida and completed a post-doctoral Fellowship in Drug Abuse Treatment and Services Research at the University of California, San Francisco. His research centers on the development of novel and potentially more effective treatments for substance dependence, with specific areas of focus on tobacco, cocaine, and polysubstance dependence in vulnerable populations.

The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and estimate the efficacy of psilocybin-facilitated treatment for cocaine use. We also will monitor the impact of psilocybin-facilitated treatment on the use of other drugs and outcomes relevant to cocaine involvement (e.g., criminal involvement). MRI assessment is a unique aspect of this study. As a potential biological mechanism of psilocybin's effect includes changes in default mode network functional connectivity (Carhart-Harris et al., 2012), we will determine if psilocybin's therapeutic effects are mediated by such changes. Moreover, as Glx (a brain metabolite that reflects glutamate) abnormalities have been shown to play a role in cocaine addiction, we will determine if psilocybin impacts Glx in the anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus.

Julie Holland, M.D.

Psychiatrist, Pharmacologist, Author

Saturday Science & Medicine Program Moderator

Julie Holland, M.D. is a psychiatrist specializing in psychopharmacology with a private practice in New York City. Her book “Weekends at Bellevue” chronicles her nine years as an attending physician on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine, running the psychiatric emergency room. Featured on the Today show and CNN’s documentary series “Weed,” Holland is the editor of “The Pot Book”; and “Ecstasy: The Complete Guide.” (Both books are non-profit projects that help to fund clinical therapeutic research.)

Dr. Holland is the medical monitor for several MAPS PTSD studies utilizing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy or testing strains of cannabis with varying CBD/THC ratios. She has worked for decades on US drug policy reform based on harm reduction principles. Her 2016 book, “MoodyBitches: The Truth About The Drugs You’re Taking, the Sleep You’re Missing, the Sex You’re Not Having, and What’s Really Making You Crazy” has been translated into eleven languages. (It was not a non-profit project.)

Sara Lappan, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alabama

"Psilocybin-facilitated Treatment for Cocaine Use"

Dr. Sara Lappan is a couple and family therapist whose research focuses on therapeutic alliance as well as family health outcomes.

The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and estimate the efficacy of psilocybin-facilitated treatment for cocaine use. We also will monitor the impact of psilocybin-facilitated treatment on the use of other drugs and outcomes relevant to cocaine involvement (e.g., criminal involvement). MRI assessment is a unique aspect of this study. As a potential biological mechanism of psilocybin's effect includes changes in default mode network functional connectivity (Carhart-Harris et al., 2012), we will determine if psilocybin's therapeutic effects are mediated by such changes. Moreover, as Glx (a brain metabolite that reflects glutamate) abnormalities have been shown to play a role in cocaine addiction, we will determine if psilocybin impacts Glx in the anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus.

Benjamin De Loenen

Founder and Executive Director, International Center for Ethnobotanical Education Research & Service

Benjamin De Loenen studied audiovisual media in The Netherlands, where he graduated with his documentary “Ibogaine-Rite of Passage” (2004), a film that remains an important reference on this subject matter. Since this achievement, Benjamin has been dedicated to making ayahuasca, iboga and other plant practices into valued and integrated parts of society. In 2009, he founded the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service (ICEERS), a charitable non-profit organisation with United Nations consultative status, where he serves as Executive Director. ICEERS is the organizer of the World Ayahuasca Conference and runs the Ayahuasca Defense Fund. Benjamin is the author of several publications and films, has presented at conferences around the world, and has participated in various leadership roles, including as a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Ibogaine Therapist Alliance (2012 - 2014).

What would a future where psychoactive plant practices are integrated and valued in our societies look like? We can imagine a world where there is less suffering, where our relationships with the natural world and each other have been restored, and where there is hope for a more loving future for our planet. Yet, the road to progress towards this vision is a long road – one that is a work in progress and this presentation will explore some of the key questions that arise when we begin to engage in a dialogue about what “integrated into society” means from different perspectives. Some of the major obstacles on the journey include increasing levels of legal prosecution, problematic media discourses, reductionist policy at international and local levels, misinformation, and lack of duty of care or unethical behaviours by people offering these experiences. Additionally, as medical psychedelic drug development moves forward, questions arise on how this paradigm can co-exist with other psychoactive plant practices. And, in light of the psychedelic renaissance, how equitable partnerships can be built that support the indigenous peoples who continue to steward these plant medicines and how to be fierce allies in their struggles for self-determination and the protection of their territories.

Michael Pollan

American Author, Journalist, and ActivistProfessor of Journalism, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

“How to Change Your Mind : What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence”

Michael Pollan is a writer, teacher and activist. His most recent book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence, was published in 2018. He is the author of seven previous books, including Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire, all of which were New York Times Bestsellers. The Omnivore’s Dilemma was named one of the ten best books of the year by both The New York Times and The Washington Post. Pollan teaches writing in the English department at Harvard and at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, where he has been the John S. and James, L. Knight Professor of Journalism since 2003. Several of his books have been adapted for television: a series based on Cooked (2015) is streaming on Netflix and both The Botany of Desire and In Defense of Food premiered on PBS. In 2010 Time Magazine named Pollan one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Pollan lives in Berkeley with his wife, the painter Judith Belzer.

Michael Pollan joins us for a conversation on his new book. When he set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into the experience of various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.

“From Enhancing Mindfulness Abilities to Promoting Neurogenesis: New Findings on the Therapeutic Potential of Ayahuasca”

Jordi Riba holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology. He leads the Human Neuropsychopharmacology Research Group at Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona. He has a broad interest in psychoactive drugs with publications on psychedelics, psychostimulants, cannabinoids, and kappa receptor agonists. He has been studying ayahuasca for over fifteen years and has published nearly forty journal articles and book chapters on the subject. He has also supervised two doctorate theses on the acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca in humans, and collaborated in the first clinical studies involving ayahuasca administration to patients with depression. His current research deals with the post-acute psychedelic “after-glow” and the use of ayahuasca in the treatment of various psychiatric conditions. He is also investigating the neuroprotective and neurogenic potential of ayahuasca alkaloids. Initial data obtained from studies in animals have revealed that several active principles present in the tea protect brain cells from hypoxia and stimulate the birth of new neurons in adult mice. These stunning results open a whole new avenue of research for ayahuasca. Potential applications of its active principles range from depression, to neurodegenerative disorders, to neural deficits associated with hypoxia and trauma.

The old paradigm of an immutable brain has been abandoned following evidence that the human central nervous system undergoes functional and structural changes throughout adult life. Studies in animals have shown, in at least two brain regions, new neurons are constantly being born and integrated into neural circuits in a process known as neurogenesis. Psychedelics and ayahuasca in particular, are powerful substances with demonstrated capacity to change pathological patterns of thought and behaviour, such as those observed in depression and addiction. These beneficial effects suggest that ayahuasca has the ability to modulate brain function beyond the time-frame of acute effects. Here I present my group’s most recent findings on the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca. Data from neuroimaging studies in humans and from cellular biology studies in animals bridge the gap between the acute psychedelic experience and the long-term improvements observed in patients. In humans, neurometabolic and functional connectivity data obtained from ayahuasca users indicate that brain dynamics are modified in the post-acute stage following ayahuasca intake. Changes in brain metabolites and connectivity correlate with increases in mindfulness capacities, a series of facets known to have a positive influence on the outcome of psychotherapeutic interventions. In animals, studies in neural progenitor cells indicate that the alkaloids present in ayahuasca facilitate the formation of new neurons. They induce precursor cells from the hippocampus to proliferate, migrate, and differentiate into mature neurons. The hippocampus is a brain structure that plays a key role in cognitive processes including learning and memory. In humans, its function declines with the normal aging process, and more dramatically so in Alzheimer’s disease and other devastating neurodegenerative disorders. The present findings indicate that ayahuasca acts at multiple levels of neural complexity and time scales, all potentially contributing to the therapeutic effects observed in patients. The neurogenic effects of ayahuasca alkaloids opens a new avenue of research with potential applications ranging from psychiatric disorders to brain damage and dementia.

Christopher Timmermann obtained a B.Sc. in Psychology in Santiago, Chile and a M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Bologna in Italy. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in Imperial College London, leading a project focusing on the effects of DMT in the brain and consciousness. He is interested in the use of methods bridging the relationship between phenomenology and changes in brain activity by studying the effects of psychedelic compounds in human participants.

Psychedelics hold the potential to narrow the bridge between phenomenology and brain activity by inducing complex experiences in controlled environments. DMT is characteristic for being able to induce rich phenomenological features, usually accompanied by feelings of deep immersion, and complex transitions of experience. In our study, we administered intravenous doses of DMT and placebo to healthy volunteers, while brain activity was recorded using EEG. Advanced phenomenological methods were used to map the details of the experience induced by DMT. Results pertaining brain activity and experiential features will be presented and the discussion will be centred around the possibility of bridging these two levels of explanation and the relevance this investigation holds for consciousness research.

Monnica Williams, Ph.D.

Clinical PsychologistAssociate Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut Director of the Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities

“Race-Based Trauma: The Challenge and Promise of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy”

Monnica T. Williams, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Connecticut in the department of Psychological Sciences. Dr. Williams has published over 100 book chapters and peer-reviewed articles, focused on anxiety-related disorders and cultural differences. She has served on the board of directors of the Delaware Valley Association of Black Psychologists, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Main Line chapter, NAMI Louisville, and the OC Foundation of California. She is currently a member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) Scientific Advisory Board, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), where she serves as the Special Interest Group (SIG) leader for African Americans in Behavioral Therapy. Dr. Williams is the clinical director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Mansfield, CT, which serves adults and families with OCD, PTSD, and anxiety disorders.

Current research shows promise for a new intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)–assisted psychotherapy. This talk explicates the present state of research into clinical trauma related to the experience of racism in America, and the potential contribution MDMA-assisted psychotherapy might make to the efficacy of present interventions.

Willa Hall received her A.B. in Psychology from UC Berkeley in 1987 and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from New School in 1999. Over the past 20 years, she has dedicated herself to raising her children while working in community mental health and private practice in New York City. In 2017 she began work on the MAPS NYC site as a co-therapist on the Phase III trials assessing the efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for severe PTSD. Dr. Hall has a long-standing interest in understanding the ways in which the therapeutic relationship and, in particular, the therapist’s authenticity facilitate a client’s deepening appreciation of their own authentic self. More recently, Dr. Hall’s attention has turned to understanding the therapist’s role in treatments that utilize non-ordinary states of consciousness in order to maximize growth and healing.

Ingmar Gorman, Ph.D., is a psychologist who specializes in assisting populations who have had experiences with psychedelics and other psychoactive compounds. He is the Director of the Psychedelic Education and Continuing Care Program, where he leads groups, trainings, and works with individual clients. Dr. Gorman is also site co-principal Investigator and therapist on a Phase 3 clinical trial studying the potential psychotherapeutic utility of MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder. He is a NIH funded fellow at New York University and a board member of Horizons Media, Inc.